


Treason

by 18lzytwner



Series: ThunderCats Third Series [6]
Category: Thundercats (1985)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2019-07-04 23:57:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 22,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15852066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: Thunderian refugees land on New Thundera and are welcomed with open arms. However, they do not intend to blend in with the quiet peoples of the planet. Can their plot be stopped in time or will the lives of the entire royal family be in danger?





	1. Chapter 1

Two years passed since the ThunderCats had given assistance to Mars. Now the last of the Martians had left almost six months ago and New Thundera and Third Earth were nearly completely back to normal. Recycling the temporary housing building materials had created jobs that were of course temporary in nature but it dropped the unemployment numbers and in the meantime Lion-O had worked on getting training and financial assistance for those that would soon be out of a job.

Two Martians had remained on New Thundera and their son, Pali, could not have been happier. Opa and Natastachi's health had steadily improved and they even spent time teaching the ThunderCats about the Choctaw way of life and the language should it ever need to be used for code purposes. Lynx-O had been eating it up and had slowly become proficient in the language.

Lea and Panthro had been married two weeks after their engagement. Both agreed that they wanted to be married before their cub arrived. It was a small ceremony and Lion-O officiated while Lynx-O gave away the bride. It was a few months later when Lea discovered that they weren't having just one cub but two. The twins were born happy and healthy and were now just over a year old.

It had been quiet and things were thankfully not crazy as they had been. Lea returned to work full-time and Snarf was more than happy to have the twins during her shifts. Leo was now almost seven years old and in school while his younger sister, Sahara, was almost five and starting a half day of school for kindergarten so they did not need him as much as they used to. Lakshmana, often called Lak by his parents, was now four and spent most of his day with his mother down in the Med Bay. Liam and Fiona were almost eleven and had been in school for a while, while their younger sibling, Emma, was only around four. Still Emma loved to help her mother in the hangar and Li-en made sure that she and Cavan stayed out of trouble, though he would never tell his wife that.

"Goodness gracious there are so many cubs running around," Cheetara commented as the group sat down for a meeting the conference room.

"Enjoy it. There won't be too many little ones for much longer," Pumyra smiled.

"Oh I am, believe me, I guess I just never pictured so many little ones," the cheetah explained.

"Two sets of twins is usual but at least they all weren't born at the same time or to the same couple," the puma admitted.

"I know we weren't planning on it but I wouldn't have it any other way," Lea smiled and Panthro gave her hand a squeeze. They were really enjoying parenthood but also being careful to not add to their family. The twins were a handful at times and having a third child on top would be too complicated now. That wasn't saying that they wouldn't try again soon.

"Is everybody accounted for?" Lion-O asked.

"Lynx-O isn't here," Cavan pointed out, his usual seat was empty.

"Probably chatting it up with Pali's folks. I'll see if he's in the library," Ben-Gali smiled and rose from his seta but didn't get far before the alarms went off throughout the Lair.

"So much for peace and quiet," Tygra commented.


	2. Chapter 2

"What have we got?" Lion-O asked as they all rushed into the Control Room.

"Incoming ship of Thunderian origin. Requesting medical assistance and asylum," Punthar reported.

"Let's get medical teams to greet them along with the ThunderGuard," Lion-O ordered.

"On it," the puma responded before quickly making an announcement.

"Request for asylum is a little odd," Panthro raised an eyebrow.

"Agreed. The Evil Chasers have spread the news across the galaxy that we are here and on Third Earth. What are the chances they have not heard?" Tygra asked.

"Could be that they did not know what to call it. It is a bit of an odd thing calling this planet home when the original blew up," Cheetara pointed out.

"Still I think we should run background checks on them in case we're about to get a surprise," Panthro said.

"Not a bad idea. Punthar, run their ship's information through the database and see if anything pops," Lion-O told him.

"Yes sir," the puma nodded and started running the information. Then they headed out to greet the ship and see what kind of medical issues might have arisen.

The ship was definitely old; the spots of rust were blatantly obvious and had not been covered up. She landed a little hard proving that the bucket of bolts was barely space-worthy. Panthro made a face when she finally shut her engines off as the exhaust fumes noticeably showed that the ship was burning oil.

The gangway came down and two Cats exited the ship. Neither looked worse for wear but the second one, a liger, was obviously distressed. Tygra moved forward and spoke to the liger who showed him back into the ship. The medical team followed and Pumyra went to checking the second Cat, who was a lion. Lion-O did not recognize him but the Lion Clan was a large one and there was no way to know everyone.

"My King, I am Ta'o," the Cat came over and bowed. Apparently, the lion knew him.

"It is good to see you brother. This is Queen Cheetara. Is everything all right?" Lion-O asked. The lion bowed to the Queen before answering,

"I fear some of my crew members are in bad shape. A bout of food poisoning we thought but at this point it seems much more serious."

"Well then I am glad you have come to us. They are in the excellent hands of Lord Tygra and Lady Pumyra," the lion smiled.

"We are all much appreciative of your help. My first mate, Nihi, was very concerned, especially when our medical officer went down," Ta'o told him.

"Understandable," Cheetara said.

"If I may have permission to attend to my crew and my ship?" Ta'o requested.

"Lord Panthro will help you with your ship. His team will get it ship shape in no time. As for your crew, by all means follow Lord Tygra and Lady Pumyra to the Med Bay. They will want to check you out as well," Lion-O nodded. With a quick nod of his head, the lion quickly headed back to his crew and Cheetara leaned over to her husband and whispered in his ear,

"He makes me nervous. I can't put my finger on it."

"I know. I'll have Punthar do some digging as soon as Panthro gets him the ship's log," he told her quietly. Cheetara nodded and then headed inside to alert the puma to the incoming visitors. Lion-O made sure that all the crew was accounted for and made note that in total there were only six. Cheetara had been right. Something about them wasn't sitting well. He hated to think that way but he still worried.  _Maybe all these years of dealing with the Mutants has forever tainted my judgement_ , he wondered.


	3. Chapter 3

"So what are we dealing with?" Lion-O asked as Tygra moved into his office, making sure the door locked behind him.

"One of the crew, Nihi's wife, Bihter, is in bad shape. She is with cub and I had to take out her gallbladder. Needless to say, she'll be in the infirmary for the remainder of her pregnancy, which I estimate at two months. The remaining five crew members are all suffering different range of digestive issues. We got them to list everything they ate and the only thing they all had in common shouldn't have caused the issues we're seeing. My guess is that someone poisoned the food or it was rotten when they ate it," the tiger explained after taking a seat across from the King's desk.

"If it was just rotten shouldn't it have passed already?" The lion raised an eyebrow.

"Bihter being pregnant would have led to her complications. Depending on the stability of the others' digestive systems, a viral infection caused by rotten food could be something that lasts up to a week. Nihi told me that they had been running low on food and were en-route to their next trading post when people started to get sick. Their medical officer, Adil, said that he tried the usual remedies but they didn't work. He feels terrible that he let his patients down especially Bihter. I was able to get a good read on those three and they seem like they are genuine. I can't get a good read on the others but they are miserable so I highly doubt they wanted to be this way," Tygra told him.

"Good point. Poisoning seems extreme but they could have stopped anywhere to receive treatment," Lion-O said.

"Nihi said he insisted on either Third Earth or New Thundera. He said he wanted someone who knew the anatomy of Thunderians. His wife lost their last baby and he was not taking any chances," the tiger replied.

"So his concern is understandable. Then why did they ask for asylum? They are our people, we would have taken them in without such a request," the King pointed out.

"I didn't want to push. The poor man was incredibly worried about his wife. It's possible that his Captain asked for it while he tended his wife," Tygra said.

"To be honest, I am very interested in their Captain. Panthro has yet to get back to me about the ship's log and condition which has me concerned," he admitted.

"I am concerned as well. The man usually has things figured out in no time flat. We're now way past my bedtime and he's been quiet," the tiger frowned.

"Perhaps bed is required and in the morning we'll have more answers. Thank you and Pumyra for your quick work. That crew owes you their lives," Lion-O smiled slightly.

"Glad I could help. Pumyra is having the night shift keep an eye on the ill ones and Punthar promised to keep the night shift on the room that we gave Ta'o," Tygra smiled slightly and stood from the chair he'd chosen.

"Something really bothers me," the lion started.

"What?" The tiger looked at him.

"Ta'o is the name of the young lynx we saved back when Lea arrived. It is a common name for a lynx, not a lion. I have to wonder why he is named that way," Lion-O narrowed his eyes.

"A question for Lynx-O perhaps?" Tygra lifted an eyebrow.

"And for the Evil Chasers. I'll get Pali on it as well," the King nodded.

"Excellent thought," the tiger agreed.


	4. Chapter 4

Morning brought little clarity as they sat around the breakfast table. Lion-O asked to speak with Lynx-O and Panthro once they were done with their meal and the two promised to meet him in his office. Cheetara promised to shake Punthar out of his cup of coffee and get any info the puma had dug up. Lea was off with Ben-Gali, back down to the hangar to keep working on the rusted out hulk that somehow managed to land on the planet.

"So boys what do we have?" Lion-O asked once they sat down inside his office, the door locked.

"The ship's logs are a freaking mess. Lea tried sorting them out but there seems to be lots of holes," Panthro spoke up.

"So our Captain isn't so good about keeping records. What about the digital copies of the ship's records? At least those would tell us where they've been and how the ship operates," the King said.

"No dice. The "black box" as we call it, was shut off. Even if it was on, the unit is older than Lynx-O, no offense, and would probably only record the last thirty minutes of the trip. It wouldn't keep a running tab," the panther told them.

"None taken Panthro," Lynx-O chuckled.

"How do they have this old rust bucket of a ship?" Lion-O questioned.

"It dates back before the destruction of Thundera. I found it among the database we have of Thunderian ships. It's an old merchant ship which would seem to match their story about heading to a trading post," Panthro said.

"How is it that they would not have known about the reformation of New Thundera and the fact that we had been broadcasting about Third Earth being our new home much before that?" The King wanted to know.

"Their radio is just as old as the rest of their ship. The ship really wasn't meant for deep space travel so the radio reach would not have been great. I've been trying to track the ship's movements based on the debris dust on the ship's skin and in the life support systems' filters. I've got forensics running the samples," Panthro explained.

"Ok I buy the radio thing but what about the fact that they should have bumped into someone who had heard something about it. We did tell the Evil Chasers to spread the word," Lion-O shook his head.

"What does Pali or Mandora say?" Lynx-O piped up.

"Pali is still digging. Punthar had given him the background check items that he found from the old Thunderian system. Granted it had been hard to update since the scattering of our people but he didn't find much. This brings me to their Captain. Lynx-O, his name is traditionally a lynx name isn't it?" The lion thought.

"It is, good catch my King. Punthar approached me about the spelling, figuring that he had missed something but it would appear that Ta'o is not his real name. This would make ID'ing him very difficult," the lynx said.

"I sent fingerprints to forensics but I also gave them to Pali to run," Panthro said.

"All right. Meantime we should treat them as our guests; nothing to arouse suspicions. We could be way off base and I don't want to cause trouble," Lion-O told them.

"You got it," Panthro nodded.

"I agree. Might I suggest something?" Lynx-O asked.

"But of course old friend," the King smiled.

"We have on our team a liger who knows a little something about being concerned for the wellbeing of his colleagues and doing whatever it takes to save them. Perhaps Li-en could talk to our first mate? He seems to be an honest Cat who only wants to save those around him," the lynx suggested.

"A little fact finding mission. I like it," Lion-O said. Panthro was about to say something when the phone on the King's desk rang.

"This is Lion-O," he said picking up the receiver.

"It's Lea. I've got something," she told him.


	5. Chapter 5

Li-en found his way into the Med Bay. Pumyra was sitting at the nurses' desk looking over something with Nurse Ling. The puma looked up and smiled.

"What can I do you for?" She asked.

"When do you sleep?" He wanted to know.

"What's sleep? I'm fairly certain there's nothing but coffee running through my veins," the puma chuckled.

"Between the new patients and Lak, I'm sure that's true. If you could point me in the direction of Nihi and his wife…" Li-en trailed off. Pumyra gave him a look, unsure of why he wanted to visit their guests.

"Lion-O said I could talk to him about the ship," he explained.

"Ok but don't disturb Bihter too much. She needs her rest," she told him.

"As quiet as a mouse in a house full of cats," Li-en winked. The puma chuckled and pointed him down the hall. The liger moved down the hall and knocked on the doorframe. Nihi moved to the door and smiled, having never met the liger.

"I'm Li-en. I'm working in the hangar on your ship. I wondered if I could borrow you for a few minutes?" He smiled.

"Of course. Although I'm not sure what I could answer besides what Lord Panthro asked about," Nihi smiled back.

"How is your wife? I know the feeling of worrying about her when she's carrying your little one," Li-en wanted to know.

"She's a strong woman. More than I ever imagined," he said.

"They can be like that can't they? I know my wife is stronger than me," the liger chuckled and gestured to an empty room where they could talk privately.

"Bih is the strongest one on our ship," Nihi chuckled too and followed him in.

"So what do you need?" the liger wanted to know.

"The maintenance logs are a little sketchy. How'd you manage to keep that bucket of bolts floating?" Li-en asked.

"It wasn't easy. Mostly toothpaste and bonding cement," Nihi laughed.

"I noticed. Those engines need an overhaul. Lord Panthro wants to give you guys' new ones but he's thinking a new ship would be easier," the liger smiled.

"It probably would though I told the Captain that Bih and I would not be joining the crew on the next trip. We're done floating around space. The baby needs a regular childhood. Going trading post to trading post is not the life I envisioned for my family," he explained.

"I completely understand. Anybody else thinking of bailing? We could always use a few good Cats," Li-en pointed out.

"I'm not sure. Though when I leave, Melik would take over as first mate. He might be the one to ask. A good sales pitch and some of them would think of defecting. Ta'o runs us pretty ragged. Of course, the ship is falling apart so that's keeping us on our toes. I really should get back to Bih," Nihi said.

"Of course, of course. Give her my best. I'll check in again later," the liger smiled and the two parted ways. Li-en made his way down to the hangar where Lion-O and Panthro were talking to Cavan and Lea.

"What do you guys have?" He asked.

"Contradictions and conundrums," Lea smirked.

"Oh do tell," Li-en smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

"The last record we have of the ship was not long before the explosion of Thundera. She left the capital heading for a city on the other end of the planet. There is no record if she made it there but since she made it off of Thundera we have to assume that most of the original crew survived. The list of crew members includes Nihi, Bihter, Melik, and Adil. There are four more names on the list but they do not match the remaining two crew members who gave their names as Ta'o and Ekber," Lea explained. The group had adjourned to Panthro's office for privacy.

"All righty so that's weird thing number one; how about their descriptions? Do Ta'o and Ekber match there?" The panther asked.

"Ta'o is a lion. None of the four that are missing are lions. Ekber is a Siberian Tiger. The only tiger listed on the log is a Bengal tiger. As we know, Nihi and Bihter are ligers, Melik is a panther, and Adil is a puma," Lea told them.

"Weird thing number two," Ben-Gali frowned.

"The four missing crew members – what clans do they belong to?" Li-en wanted to know.

"Lynx, Bengal Tiger, Ocelot, and Bobcat," the lioness said.

"That was an odd crew to start with…" Lion-O was surprised.

"Agreed. Most merchant ships do not have such a mixed crew but this was a mission of mercy to a town cut off by the earthquakes so they probably grabbed whoever was handy," Lea filled in.

"All the personnel issues aside, what did you find on the ship?" Panthro wondered.

"That's where it gets interesting. Particles left on the exterior of the ship would seem to indicate than other than the usual space environment of meteor dust, small asteroid chunks, and low levels of radiation, there was something that I had never come across but that forensics identified as black hole remnants," she shrugged.

"There's only one person we know that survived a black hole," Panthro turned to Lion-O.

"I don't see how he could still be around," the King frowned, unsure of how it was possible.

"All right, someone needs to fill us noobs in," Lea gave them a look.

"Captain Shiner, sort of an ally to Mumm-Ra. He did help us though too…" Lion-O trailed off.

"Space pirate and mercenary. Not sure how he fits in though," Ben-Gali gave Panthro and Lion-O a look.

"Unless he spread his knowledge of how Panthro reversed the polarity inside the black hole we went into, I'm not sure he does. Given your knowledge of the crew, could anyone have done what you did or would they not have the requisite knowledge?" The lion asked.

"Of the legit crew members, I would say Melik would. He is the ship's engineer," Lea said.

"He will also be the first mate if they leave here. Nihi says that he told Ta'o that he and Bihter were done flying around space. They want to raise their baby in a more stable environment," Li-en spoke up.

"Can't say as I blame them," Cavan said.

"Agreed. Somehow we're missing something," Ben-Gali shook his head.

"Two crew members who randomly appear while four go missing, indications of the ship being in a black hole, and an unexplained illness – there are too many questions. Get some of them answered as soon as possible," Lion-O ordered. He was about to walk out of the room when the phone rang. Panthro picked it up and was only on for a few moments.

"Mandora is on line one. You better take it here unless you want to head up to your office," he said.

"I'll take it here," Lion-O smiled and gratefully took the receiver.


	7. Chapter 7

Lion-O called a meeting of all ThunderCats currently residing inside Cats Lair. He'd not said much to anyone after he got off the phone with Mandora and had retreated to his office. Panthro grew concerned when he'd seen the look on the lion's face but the King waved him off until later when everyone could meet.

"You asked me to come and see you, my King?" Pali asked. He'd fallen into his old habit with new Thunderians about since they did not understand his presence.

"I did Pali, please have a seat," the lion smiled as the reptile took a seat across from him. He had called the Evil Chaser up to his office before the meeting for a few minutes.

"As I am sure you are aware, Mandora has offered her services once again although I think her ulterior motive is to see Alexei," Lion-O chuckled regarding the Russian FSB officer who had become the Director of the agency not long after President Zhukov had won the election that had been held.

"Well that would be true if Alexei were still on Mars," Pali smiled.

"Do you know something I don't?" The lion gave him a look.

"I waylaid Mandora by telling her that I could handle it along with Officer Shay from Third Earth. Since we installed a post over there it would seem silly to have her fly all the way out. Alexei is on his way to headquarters with a surprise," the reptile couldn't help but continue to smile.

"And I'm guessing it's a fairly big surprise considering he's making the journey out there," Lion-O said.

"I believe that Commander Culloden will be making Mandora take some of her massive amounts of vacation soon," Pali said as he pulled up a picture on his personal device and showed it to the lion.

"Great Jaga's ghost. That is quite the ring," Lion-O smiled.

"One fitting a Czarina is what Alexei said although I have no idea what that means," the Evil Chaser admitted.

"I think I do. That is fantastic. When this is all over, I'll be sure to send our congratulations along. Regrettably, we have an issue that will need an Evil Chaser's assistance. How quickly can Officer Shay get here?" He asked.

"She is on her way already and should be here within three hours. I thought it best not to delay," Pali told him.

"Excellent. Now let us get down to the Conference Room," Lion-O nodded and rose from his desk. Pali nodded and they headed down to the aforementioned room.

"What do you think is going on?" Cheetara asked Lea as they waited for their King.

"You know him better than I do but I have to say that after getting off the phone with Mandora he did not look happy," the lioness shrugged. The cheetah nodded and worried about her husband. It wasn't often that he was so secretive and that must mean that there is big trouble.

"Sorry we're late," Lion-O apologized. Everyone nodded as he made sure the door was locked. Then they heard him initiate the extra security measures which shut off any chance for the sound of their voices to leave the room.

"What's going on Lion-O?" Cheetara asked.

"Mandora ran the pictures of the crew through her database and the information we gave her and discovered that Ta'o's real name is Timor and Ekber's real name is Sol. They are a part of a group called TFJ which is on record in our archives. TFJ, or Thunderians for Justice as they are known, is not a good organization. Not long before Thundera began her collapse, they attempted to assassinate my father. They claimed that he had run Thundera into the ground and that their leader, Timor, should be King. As a lion, he could certainly make a claim but the group was on the fringe and unafraid to use violence so they didn't have enough people to attempt an overthrow. The ThunderGuard rounded up all their members after the failed attempt on my father's life. All but two were caught and as far as I knew they all died on Thundera. Now it would seem that those two have come here with ulterior motives. Since we do not know if the other crewmembers are involved, we must arrest all of them," he said.

"Why didn't they pop in our own database?" Panthro asked.

"I spoke to Punthar. He says that since they were considered defunct and they are no longer in the active files on our system. Mandora added them to their database when we gave her access to ours for the Evil Chaser records and she incorporated them in case she ever ran into them in her travels," the King explained.

"Then I guess we better get the ThunderGuard making some arrests," Ben-Gali said.

"Agreed," Lion-O nodded. The meeting was quickly adjourned and Lion-O placed a call to the ThunderGuard. Those in the Med Bay were easily rounded up and Sol (formerly Ekber) was captured trying to leave the Lair.

"Timor is in the wind," ThunderGuard Captain Pau said.

"Search every inch of this planet, I want him found," Lion-O ordered.


	8. Chapter 8

Alerts were sent planet-wide and everyone was to be on the lookout for Timor. Anyone having any information was to contact the ThunderGuard immediately. Patrols were stepped up and children were sent home from school. Li-en made his way down to the prison cells in the basement of the Lair where Sol and Nihi were being held.

"Lord Li-en! What is going on? Why have I been placed in here?" Nihi was utterly confused and the liger wondered if he was just that good of an actor or if he truly had no idea what his colleagues were capable of.

"Take Nihi to interrogation. Lord Panthro will be down soon for Sol," he told the guard. The lynx and his fellow guard, who was a puma, went into the cell and removed Nihi. The moved him down the hall in chains and then chained him to the table in the center of the small room that only had a one-way mirror in it.

"You need to tell me everything you know regarding your shipmates and maybe then I can help you," Li-en said as he took a seat across from the still confused-looking liger.

"Why did you call Ekber, Sol?" Nihi asked.

"That's his real name. We verified that you are who you say you are but it would seem that both Ta'o and Ekber were not honest with us. Where did you meet them and how did you escape Thundera? What happened to the rest of your crew?" Li-en pressed.

"Our crew landed in a small village to offer support since the roads into the town were destroyed due to the earthquakes. While we were there, the planet started to break apart. We waited as long as we could, trying to get as many people into our ship as we could before we had to leave. We lost four of our crew members and picked up only the two others regrettably. The town was near the epicenter of the planet's destruction and anyone who could not move fast enough were killed instantly. We might have been one of the first ships to get away before everything started to fall apart," Nihi explained.

"So you let the two men you never met lead you into space?" Li-en gave him a look.

"Our pilot never made it back to the ship and I only had the skills to fly us from town to town. I didn't have the skills to take us off planet. We weren't even sure if we'd survive the attempt to exit the planet's atmosphere. Ta'o said he knew what to do. After he successfully navigated us out and away from the planet, we all agreed he should pilot the ship. He was knowledgeable about the universe so we made him captain," Nihi said.

"He is a terrorist and so is his friend. They tried to assassinate King Claudus before the planet began its death. You didn't know that?" Li-en was skeptical.

"We didn't ask a lot of questions. They didn't seem to matter considering everything and everyone we knew and loved was dead," the prisoner heaved a sigh.

"Point taken but why wait all this time to come to New Thundera? King Lion-O had been broadcasting for years regarding Third Earth and then New Thundera. Why come here now? How did you and the crew get sick?" Again the liger tried to get more concrete answers.

"We heard of the reformation of New Thundera but Ta'o told us that it couldn't be possible. I asked him about trying to head for Third Earth. He said that the ship wouldn't hold up and that we would need to land somewhere where we could either buy a new ship or try to shore up the one we had. We landed at an outpost and had begun to look into things when the Mutants had started their war with the Luntacs. We hunkered down and tried to work on our ship as we soon discovered that buying a new one was out of the question. While we tried to fix our ship, we took jobs at the outpost so we could keep working on the ship. I think we just kind of slipped into a rhythm and it wasn't until Bihter got pregnant that I insisted we get moving. I wanted to be sure the baby would not be born at the outpost. I figured once that happened we'd never leave," Nihi told him.

"Tygra estimates that your wife is seven months pregnant. It should not have taken you that long to get here even with that ship of yours in the state it's in," Li-en pointed out.

"We started hopping from outpost to outpost as we moved closer to our destination. Things kept breaking on the ship. We'd have to stop for a week or two at each outpost fix something and then move on. I became impatient. I demanded to know why things kept breaking if we'd been working on the ship so much. I didn't have enough knowledge about the mechanisms. Melik pulled me aside and said that he thought someone was sabotaging us but he couldn't prove it," the liger said.

"He's the ship's engineer. How could he not?" Li-en raised an eyebrow.

"Our ship is older than dirt. Things break. He was busting his butt to get us to Third Earth but he had to sleep sometime. Then we all started getting sick," Nihi filled in.

"You said you were on your way to the next trading post when everyone got sick," the ThunderCat thought he'd caught him in a lie.

"We were until I realized that the nearby planet would be closer. Checking our coordinates, I realized that Ta'o was going to steer us away from the planet and he had to know that we were closer to it rather than the trading post. I confronted him, as is my right as first mate, when Adil got sick, because now there was no one to care for Bihter. He claimed he read the charts wrong and then steered us to New Thundera," Nihi said. Li-en was just about to ask about the black hole debris that they had found when the Lair alarms went off.

"Secure the prisoner!" Li-en ordered the guards before running out of the interrogation room.


	9. Chapter 9

"What's going on?" Lion-O asked as he busted into the Control Room. Punthar pulled up the video screen and he could see the ThunderGuard outside of a house. They had it surrounded and were shouting at the occupants.

"The ThunderGuard has cornered Timor. He's taken the family hostage and is threatening to kill them if you don't come down there yourself," the puma explained.

"Oh I don't like this one bit," Lea said.

"Agreed," Cheetara spoke up.

"I'm not going to let an innocent family get slaughtered," Lion-O countered.

"He attempted to kill your father. Do you think he won't try with you? I will not raise our children alone," Cheetara put her foot down.

"I have no willingness to lead the ThunderCats brother. Listen to your wife," Lea nodded.

"We go into dangerous situations all the time. What makes this one any different?" The lion argued.

"Sir, you are dealing with a master manipulator. Nihi explained to me his treachery. He was trying everything he could to not land them on this planet. He fooled them all into believing he was just a normal person for years. Now he is cornered, he will do and say anything to either get what he wants or to get away," Li-en spoke up.

"Then it's a good thing we'll have the ThunderGuard and the ThunderCats there with me," the King smiled before ordering everyone to the ThunderTank and ThunderStrike.

"The King is on his way! Send out the children! They have nothing to do with this!" The negotiator shouted through the bullhorn. They had attempted video calling the home only to have the screen smashed.

"I'm not letting anyone go until he gets here!" Timor shouted through an open window. He paced back and forth, holding the laser blaster he'd swiped off of a vendor as he'd made his way through the market. Taking a lynx family hostage hadn't been his first thought but the ThunderGuard was chasing him and he was just ahead enough to duck into a house and force the occupants to stand up against the front windows. The ThunderGuard wouldn't dare take a shot at him with the hostages in the way.

"Please let the children go," the mother pleaded. For her request, Timor hit her across the face.

"They'll go when I say they can. You follow a pigdog of a King and only until he understands my demands will anyone leave," he spat.

"The King is a great Cat!" The little boy shouted at his captor.

"Brave and stupid," Timor smacked him as well before putting the blaster to his forehead.

"One more word out of anyone and the kid gets it," he snarled. It was then that he could hear the ThunderTank and ThunderStrike approaching. Timor went and stood next to the father, making sure to keep him in the way of the outside world coming in. The vehicles landed and the ThunderCats disembarked.

"So nice of you to finally grace us with your presence!" Timor shouted at them. Lion-O ignored him and walked over to the negotiator. They discussed something for a moment or two and then the lion grabbed the bullhorn.

"Timor we know about you and Sol! Come out with your hands up and no one needs to get hurt!" Lion-O announced.

"Oh it's too late for that! How many died on Thundera because of your father?!" The terrorist shouted back. It took all of Lion-O's strength to not dignify that with a response.

"It's not too late! Just come out and we'll talk!" Lion-O told him.

"You obviously don't take me seriously! I think I have an answer to that!" Timor wasn't in the mood. Suddenly an explosion rocked Cat's Lair and everyone turned to look. Flames shot out from the structure and smoke billowed into the sky. Cheetara didn't wait for anyone and took off running.


	10. Chapter 10

The cheetah arrived in record time. Smoke was billowing out of the hole in the side of the building. The sprinkler system had gone off to combat the flames and she could hear the alarms for people to evacuate the Lair. Cats were running as fast as they could to get out of the way of the flames and smoke and the fire personnel who were part of the fire squad that remained at the Lair at all times.

"Where are the children?" She asked a passing puma.

"I wasn't anywhere near them your Highness," the puma explained. The cheetah let her go and rushed into the building. Cheetara brushed past people as they tried to get away. The Lair groaned indicating that there could be structural damage. The ThunderGuard soldiers were ushering people out of the building, aiding those who couldn't get out on their own, and trying to put out the blaze.

"Where are the children?" She asked a Sergeant.

"Punthar ran to get them and Snarf. I haven't seen them exit past me though. We're trying to get the Med Bay and the prisoners out of here as we speak," he told her.

"Continue on Sergeant," Cheetara nodded and then continued to make her way toward the children's rooms. They had been sent home from school so all of them were there and the cheetah couldn't fathom having to tell their parents if something bad happened to them. That's when she spotted Liam and Fiona ushering Leo, Emma, and Lak out of the building. She breathed a quick sigh of relief except when she noticed who was missing.

"Where is Sahara? The twins? Snarf?" She asked them.

"Punthar told us to get Leo, Emma, and Lak out of the building. We weren't with the twins or Snarf or Sahara," Liam explained.

"Keep moving. Do not stop. Get them out of here," Cheetara ordered. Liam nodded, scooped up Emma, and kept moving with his sister and the younger two following. The cheetah pressed on and finally made it to the nursery where Snarf and the twins should have been. The door had been busted open by the force of the blast which she was now realizing emanated from her and Lion-O's room which was diagonally above the nursery's new location. She thanked any Gods listening that they had moved the nursery before the new twins had been born.

"Is anyone in here?" She asked as she carefully moved into the room.

"Queen Cheetara! I need some help!" It was Punthar. Gingerly, she picked her way through. Snarf was lying on the floor; his head was bleeding from a wound caused by falling debris.

"Sahara is underneath this beam, which is barely hanging on just above her. She's on top of the twins but she's too afraid to come out," he said.

"Sahara, its Mommy, sweetie. Please come out," her mother pleaded.

"Can't. Stuck," was all the almost five year old said. Cheetara turned to Punthar.

"Get Snarf out of here and get help," she ordered.

"I can't leave you here. The fire is edging closer. If we're going to go, we have to go soon and together," he said. She nodded and they quickly got to figuring out how to get the kids out. Carefully, Sahara helped get little Layna out first who was kind of sandwiched on top of her brother Milo. The next baby was moved out and then it was Sahara's turn.

"Get the twins out of here. Their lungs won't be able to take much of this smoke," she ordered Punthar. He hesitated but knew better as the babies were too small for this fight. He promised to be back as quickly as he could.

"My leg," she was beginning to cry and Cheetara marveled at just how tough her little daughter had been through this whole ordeal.

"I know sweetie. I'm going to get you out of here," the cheetah promised. Carefully, she worked her hand into the space beneath her daughter that had been vacated by the twins. Her daughter's leg was indeed stuck and she tried not to show her concern as she realized that the girl's foot had probably been crushed beneath the weight of the debris from the ceiling.

"Your Highness! We need to get going the firefighters managed to get the fire under control but the structure is weakened," Punthar had arrived back and he had brought help in the form of two ThunderGuard soldiers. Cheetara pulled herself off the floor and whispered to them her concern.

"Her foot is crushed. The only way to get her out may be to remove it." She was barely keeping it together and Punthar put a hand on her shoulder. No mother should ever have to tell her almost five year old that her foot might have to come off.

"We'll do what we can to save her and her foot," one of the soldiers, a white tiger, promised. He and his comrade moved to the spot and surveyed the debris.

"We can lift up this piece but someone has to pull her out quick then we have to grab Snarf and haul butt," the second soldier, a liger, said. Cheetara nodded and got down on the floor with her daughter while Punthar moved to help the soldiers.

"Ok sweetie. I know you're being so brave but I need you to be brave a little bit more. We're going to get you out so close your eyes and hold onto my hands," she told her. Sahara nodded and squeezed her eyes shut.

"1… 2… 3…!" The men lifted the debris off of her and Cheetara pulled. Sahara let out a scream but she was free. The cheetah held her daughter close as one of the men told her to run. She ran but not nearly as fast as she could, knowing that she could not leave them behind. Punthar scooped up Snarf and they all made a break for the exit together.


	11. Chapter 11

The radio in the ThunderTank crackled to life and Panthro quickly picked it up. He spoke to someone on the other end before announcing to Tygra and Pumyra that their presence was needed back at the Lair. The two medical professionals jumped into a nearby ThunderGuard transport and took off. He did not want to tell the others about the wounded knowing it would distract them from their task.

"How bad is it?" Lion-O asked him when he returned to the group. The panther could see the concern emanating from the King's eyes.

"Bad. There is structural damage and wounded. The fire is almost out, we'll know more then," the panther said.

"What about our babies?" Lea wanted to know.

"They're being checked by the medics. Sahara saved them," that was all the info that Panthro was willing to give.

"She gets more like her mother every day," Lion-O smiled and then turned his attention back to the traitor in their midst. The negotiations were at a standstill and now with some news filtering back about the explosion, the lion was losing his patience.

"A shame you weren't in the explosion still a revolution can begin with a single shot," Timor yelled out the window.

"What revolution is that? You want to go back to the old days when lions ruled with absolute power? Where Cats lived in fear? I'll not have it!" Lion-O bellowed through the bull horn.

"You don't think they live in fear now? How many times must your family ruin the good people of Thundera before you realize that you are the problem?" Timor shouted back.

"My family has served the good Cats of Thundera for a long time along with the good peoples of Third Earth. It was not my family's fault that Thundera exploded. My own father sacrificed his life so that our peoples could live so that the Eye of Thundera would live on. All you have proven to everyone is that you are worthy of the jail cell that awaits you," Lion-O told him.

"You believe what you want to believe but I think we all know that your family is directly responsible for the genocide of your own people!" Timor would not listen. Then there was some sort of a scuffle inside the home. The ThunderGuard took the opportunity to storm the house. Lion-O didn't want the family hurt but blaster fire could be heard along with what had to be the mother of the lynx family screaming. Lion-O pulled the Sword of Omens out and the other ThunderCats followed him into the home.

"Secure the scene!" One of the ranking ThunderGuard members barked and quickly the troops secured the children who were thankfully unharmed and their mother. On the floor lay the father, a wound in his shoulder and one in his leg. There were two ThunderGuard members on the floor as well. One was sitting on top of Timor while another cuffed him. The call for a medic went out and they quickly moved in to aid the wounded lynx.

"How bad is Timor?" Lion-O asked.

"Bad. He's dead," said the one who had been cuffing him.

"Good then it's over," the King nodded.

"I don't think so," the little boy spoke up. His mother was preoccupied with her injured husband and uninjured daughter. Lion-O knelt down and looked him in the eye.

"What makes you say that kiddo?" He asked.

"He said something about revenge," the boy shrugged. Lion-O didn't let it show that perhaps Timor meant that there were more bombs.

"Well thanks for letting me know. I need you to do me a huge favor all right?" He asked. The child nodded.

"You help your mom ok? We're going to get your dad to the hospital but she's going to need your help with your sister and when your dad gets home all right?" Lion-O told hm.

"Yes sir," the child smiled.

"Good. Now what's your name?" The King asked.

"Samu," he said.

"Well Samu, you've done a great job. I'll be checking in on you and your family ok?" Lion-O smiled. The little boy nodded. Just then Panthro came up to the King and whispered something to him. The lion grabbed onto the panther for support so that he did not collapse in front of everyone.

"Get me to the Lair now!" He said.


	12. Chapter 12

Lion-O practically jumped out of the Tank when it rumbled up the Lair. The ThunderStrike with the others wasn't far behind. Luckily, the fire was now out but the displaced were being told to go home. Until the building structure could be fully evaluated, no one would be allowed back in. Pali and Officer Shay had taken charged of the area and were making sure that those that needed medical attention were being helped while others were put to work trying to get the vehicles out of the hangar.

"Where is Tara?" Lion-O asked Pali.

"She rode with Sahara and Snarf to the hospital. Pumyra went with and Tygra is here helping triage. The children have been secured with Punthar. In all the commotion, I'm afraid that somehow Sol escaped. Li-en and Cavan helped the prisoners escape the building but when they turned to help the others Sol pushed his guard down the stairs. The guard is in bad shape. He hit his head and Tygra isn't sure if they can save him," Pali explained. Lion-O clenched his fists. The battle may have been won with the death of Timor but now that Sol was on the loose and the war would continue.

"I have to get to the hospital. Are things under control here?" The lion wanted to know.

"Yes. Go my King," Pali nodded. Lion-O then jumped back into the ThunderTank and Panthro drove him to the hospital. The lion leapt from the vehicle and raced inside where he was quickly directed upstairs to the children's' ICU. There he found Cheetara sitting in the waiting room, her head in her hands. Her uniform had blood on it and he immediately scooped her out of the chair and pulled her close, checking her over.

"What happened?" He asked; glad to see that she was unharmed.

"It's her left foot. It was crushed by the debris," Cheetara could no longer keep it together and she cried as she pressed her face into her husband's chest. Lion-O held her close, barely able to keep it together himself. If she was this distraught, it must be very bad and while he wanted to know everything immediately, he had to let her calm down. Sahara was starting to show that she might have powers like her mother and the two had shared a very special link since birth and Lion-O imagined it was all very overwhelming. While they held each other, Panthro worked his way out into the hallway and found a nurse.

"How bad is little Sahara?" He asked.

"I can't say. You're not family and regulations don't let me talk to anyone but family," the puma reminded him.

"She saved my children's' lives. Please," the panther was practically begging. The puma looked around and then pulled the panther into a mop closet.

"Sahara's left foot was very badly damaged. The doctor is going to do all he can to try and save it but he might not be able to," she admitted.

"She's not even five yet," the panther swallowed.

"Children are surprisingly resilient but there might not be enough left for the doctor to fix," the nurse said.

"Great Jaga's ghost," he heaved a sigh.

"I'll try to keep you all informed as much as I can but the surgeon will be the one to give the final word. I'm truly sorry," she said before pushing past him and out of the mop closet. Panthro stood there for a few minutes unsure of what to do next. Once he'd regained his composure, he headed back to the waiting room where he found Cheetara explaining everything she knew. The look on Lion-O's face did not hide his emotions. He could see the mix of rage and concern. Panthro moved over quickly and put a hand on his younger friend's shoulder.

"I'll get this bastard. I promise," he said.

"Whatever it takes. I want Sol found," Lion-O told him.

"Consider it done," the panther nodded.


	13. Chapter 13

Before leaving the hospital, Panthro made his way to the nurses' station and found out where his own children were being assessed. A different nurse than he spoke to before told him where they were and that Lea was with them. He thanked her and then quickly made his way to them.

"Pan is everything all right? I heard Sahara saved our little ones," the lioness asked him when he entered the room. Lea was feeding them and had been given a private room to do so. Given her physical troubles, Pumyra had been concerned when the cubs were born. Though it is not uncommon for twins to be small when they are born, which the twins were, he wanted her to continue a mixture of formula and breastmilk to help the twins grow properly for at least another month. The hospital had been very helpful in letting her pump some and then mixing it according to Pumyra's instructions.

"Sahara's left foot may have to be amputated," the words rushed out. Lea shook her head, fighting back the emotions that were welling up just under the surface.

"She saved our Milo and Layna. What can we do?" She wanted to know.

"I'm going after Sol. He will pay for what he's done," Panthro gritted his teeth.

"Not by yourself you're not. I'm coming with you. The children are safe here at the hospital. Thanks to Sahara's quick thinking, they didn't suffer anything serious and are free to leave the hospital whenever we get the Lair back up and running," Lea explained.

"You need to stay here and feed them. I don't know how long this will take," he pointed out. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew he was right.

"Then take Ben or Li-en with you," the lioness said.

"I will I promise," Panthro told her before leaning over and pressing a chaste kiss to her lips. With that the panther was gone.

He reached the ThunderTank to find that Li-en was leaning up against it. The panther gave the liger a raised eyebrow since he did not know how he had gotten there.

"Cavan tells me that Sahara is in a bad way and we've come to offer our assistance," the liger smiled.

"We?" Panthro looked around not seeing the puma anywhere.

"Yes, we," she smiled and poked her head out of the Tank's storage compartment.

"Stowaway?" The panther raised an eyebrow.

"No. Just installing the finishing touches to that new tracking software and weapons upgrades. I had to get behind the panel in the storage hold," Cavan smirked.

"Well jump aboard. We've got some hunting to do," Panthro said. Li-en and Cavan jumped in and the panther revved the engines.

"Any idea on where this guy would go? Do we have any leads as to where Timor was headed?" Li-en wanted to know.

"No but I know a few people who may be able to help us down in the seedy parts of the city," the panther admitted.

"Connections?" Cavan wondered just how the panther met these kinds of Cats.

"Informants," he chuckled and fired the engines as they made their way through the city. Vehicles cleared a path for the familiar ThunderCat vehicle, knowing it was wise to get out of the way. As they approached a large building, Panthro poked a button and a large garage door opened. He pulled the ThunderTank in and closed the door behind them.

"We hoof it from here," he said, grabbing some cloaks out of the back of the Tank.

"All righty," Li-en was beginning to wonder what they had gotten into but if it meant getting the one partially responsible for the mess they found themselves in now, then it would be worth it.


	14. Chapter 14

After finishing with the twins, Lea went to find her brother and his wife. The nurse directed her to the waiting room where the two were and she quickly made her way there. Lion-O and Cheetara were sitting in the room, holding each other. The lioness crouched down in front of them and gave them a hug.

"What do you need?" She asked.

"How are the cubs?" Cheetara asked her own question.

"They will be fine thanks to your wonderful daughter. Where is Leo? Should I bring him here?" Lea wanted to know.

"Liam and Fiona promised to keep an eye on all the cubs during this mess," the cheetah told her.

"They're good kids. Let me bring you some clean clothes, Tara, and I'll see how things at the Lair are progressing," Lea offered.

"They are. Thank you Lea," Lion-O smiled at his half-sister.

"Anything for you, you know that," she said before giving them a quick hug and heading back out of the room. She then made her way to the first floor and found a ThunderGuard soldier, a young lynx, who was helping the hospital security staff secure things.

"Lady Leanna," he saluted.

"I need your help soldier. I need to get to the Lair ASAP," she said.

"I'll radio for a transport. ECSC Pali is restricting access though until the civil engineers can assess the structural stability of the Lair," he told her.

"Let us hope they can figure something out soon. I think we'll all be very happy to be back in the Lair as soon as possible," she nodded. The soldier nodded and then used his shoulder radio to call for a transport. Then he leaned in closer to the lioness and looked around to make sure no one would overhear.

"Lord Panthro, Lord Li-en, and Lady Cavan are on the hunt for the bastard, if you'll pardon me ma'am," he kept his tone low.

"No pardon needed son. Thanks for the update. What's your name?" She asked.

"Lycen, ma'am," he answered.

"Lycen, be sure that someone secures the ICU. The King and Queen are up there waiting on word regarding Princess Sahara," Lea told him.

"I have sent word for the best we have to secure the hospital and will send them up there as soon as they get here. How is the Princess, if am I permitted to ask," he quickly added.

"She's in good hands with the doctors. I'm afraid it's a wait and see kind of thing now," Lea admitted. Lycen nodded and then pulled back when his radio crackled to life.

"Your ride is here ma'am. Good luck," he smiled and then saluted her again as she thanked him and walked out.

It didn't take long for her to reach the Lair and she thanked the soldiers for the ride. Once she arrived, she was directed to Pali who was trying to get a bead on how they could setup temporary facilities for calling Third Earth and other planets if need be.

"How are things?" He asked, nervous about her answer.

"They'll be better when Panthro catches this traitor. The Queen needs a clean uniform and Lion-O wants an update," Lea explained.

"Well I'm not sure about the uniforms but I can certainly give you an update. The injured have been sent to the hospital, Officer Shay has radioed for immediate assistance from our fellow Evil Chasers, and the Lair has been secured. Now the engineers are examining everything but with the sun going down shortly, we'll have to resume in the morning. Pumyra has taken the children to a nearby hotel. The hotel owner has graciously allowed all those displaced from the Lair to stay there until the building is once again able to be occupied," he informed her.

"You've done excellent work. Now about that uniform…" she gave him a look.

"Even if I could in good conscience let you into the building, her uniforms are probably smoke or water damaged, if they still exist," Pali said.

"Her current one is covered in her daughter's blood. She needs to get into something clean," Lea pushed.

"Then your best bet might be the shops in town. I'm sure they'd be more than willing to help out," he suggested.

"Good point. We have a vehicle I can borrow?" She asked.

"All vehicles were secured from the hangar. You should be able to find something for the trip. Give the King and Queen my best. I hope little Sahara will be ok," Pali told her.

"Thanks. I'll pass along your thoughts," Lea promised before heading off to the new vehicle area.


	15. Chapter 15

Panthro, Li-en, and Cavan, made their way through the seedy underbelly of the capital city, their hoods pulled down over their faces. Li-en couldn't help but want to take a shower after they encountered some of the less savory characters that this portion of the city offered. Though New Thundera had a relatively low crime rate, no matter how society tried, there would always be those that wished to break the law. Panthro had cultivated these contacts it turns out from when he had been investigating the Thundrillium shortage a few years back. In exchange for being kept out of trouble, the contacts had given up leads which led to the capture of the thieves and their incarceration. Now they stood in front of a door to a rundown building and Panthro gave a knock. A slot in the door slid open.

"Password," a gruff voice asked.

"Tuna Tuesdays," Panthro responded.

"Welcome Lord Panthro," the voice was quieter then as the Cat behind the door opened it. It revealed a large panther who looked like he could give the ThunderCat a run for his money.

"Thanks Cecil. Is Daemon in his usual spot?" The panther asked.

"He is. Shall I ring up a private room since you brought friends?" Cecil wanted to know.

"Private might be best. I'm sure you've heard what happened," Panthro said.

"Indeed. The news is that the Princess is in bad shape. You let me know if you need any assistance. We wouldn't want your hands getting dirty," the panther offered.

"I shall keep that in mind brother," Panthro nodded as Cecil pointed them up a rickety staircase to their right. They were then directed to a room off to the side.

"Daemon will be with you shortly Lord Panthro and some Thunderian Ale on the house," another large cat, a lynx to be specific, said.

"Thank you Benny," Panthro smiled and the three cats took a seat in a plush room. There was a large booth with leather seating and a Thunderian Oak table and the walls were painted a deep red.

"Seems like you are known quite well here," Cavan said as they removed their hoods.

"Cecil and Benny have worked for Daemon for years. The bar is neutral territory where business can be done without the threat of violence from either side," Panthro told them. The door opened and in walked a lithe puma with a tray of Thunderian Ale.

"Lord Panthro. Good to see you again. It's about the Princess isn't it? It was all over the news," she said as she set the drinks down.

"I'm afraid so, Lilianna. Daemon on his way?" The panther asked.

"He's with a client. I'll be sure and tell him to not keep you waiting," the puma smiled.

"Thanks. Stay safe," he said.

"Always. Give my best to Lea and the children," she smiled again.

"Will do," Panthro smiled and then she left the room.

"Another contact?" Li-en raised an eyebrow.

"Undercover ThunderGuard. Just because I do business with Daemon doesn't mean I trust him," Panthro chuckled. Just then the door opened and in walked a tiger in a fancy suit with a drink in his hand.  
"Panthro, business again? I see you brought friends too," Daemon gave him a look and took a seat across from them.

"Lord Li-en and Lady Cavan," he made the quick introductions, "The one who bombed the Lair. He hurt many Cats including the Princess," the panther said.

"I heard. I've had my ears to the ground ever since but if anyone knows anything they aren't talking. We may not all be saints but we know better than to hit the ThunderCats where they live," Daemon admitted.

"We know who it was. The perpetrator is dead. It's his buddy that practically killed a ThunderGuard soldier we're after. You ever hear of the TFJ?" Panthro pressed.

"Those crazy nutbags? I thought they all died on Thundera," Daemon gave him a look.

"Not all of them apparently. Our guy goes by Sol or Ekber. He's a Siberian Tiger. Let me know if you hear anything?" The panther asked.

"Of course. You need anything else?" Daemon wanted to know.

"You heard of anyone going through a black hole or a Captain Shiner?" Panthro inquired.

"Shiner is back in business. We all thought he was dead. Turns out, not so much. I'll send a special file to your secure connection via my office," the tiger promised. That's when they heard a knock on the door and Daemon bade those outside to come in.

"Word fresh off the street. We have a tiger asking around for transport off New Thundera. He's trying to find his way to Captain Shiner," Cecil explained his presence.

"I think you'll have both the answers you seek soon. Where is this Cat?" Daemon asked.

"The patron said he saw the tiger down outside Muffy's," the large panther told them.

"Muffy's?" Cavan asked.

"A house where ladies like you would not enter," Daemon clarified.

"Shall I send an anonymous call to the ThunderGuard?" Cecil wanted to know.

"Give Muffy a call. Tell her that I have someone who can help this gentleman. Send him our way. Make sure to give him the welcome special," the tiger smirked.

"Yes sir," Cecil smirked and then left the room.

"Welcome special?" Li-en asked.

"You'll see," Panthro said.


	16. Chapter 16

Lion-O and Cheetara sat in the waiting room hours later, trying not to think about how long it was taking to work on their daughter. He had sent a nurse in about an hour and a half previously, saying that they were trying their best to put Sahara's foot back together but that it was proving more difficult than originally planned. Now they worried that by difficult, it meant that the cub would indeed lose her foot.

Panthro's news of recapturing Sol had brightened their spirits some along with Cheetara receiving some brand new clothes to wear. The stores surrounding the Lair had been all too excited to provide the Queen with something to wear and Lea had had little trouble procuring something. Now the lioness sat with them waiting as patiently as they could. Still reality had hit when the nurse had entered the room after the good news they received.

"King Lion-O, Queen Cheetara?" A Bengal tiger asked. He had clean scrubs on and a lab coat indicting that he was in fact the doctor they'd been waiting for.

"Yes?" They both asked at the same time as they stood from their chairs.

"My name is Doctor Karsy. I'm so very sorry. We did everything we could but the damage was just too severe. We were forced to amputate her foot and her ankle," he said. Cheetara could barely stand up and Lion-O grabbed her.

"What happened? Can we see her?" The lion asked as he helped his wife into a chair.

"The bones in her foot were crushed and could not be repaired. We tried to then do a partial amputation but the arteries were too damaged as well. At that young of an age, I do not like keeping them under anesthetic for too long. She's still not awake yet and we're keeping her in recovery. When she's been moved to her room, I'll send a nurse to bring you to her. Again I am truly sorry. We'll talk about prosthetics once she's had a few days to grasp when has happened and what is going on," Karsy explained.

"Thank you doctor. We appreciate everything you tried to do," Cheetara told him, looking up from her seat. She could feel that Sahara was almost awake; her sixth sense was suddenly awakened and she didn't want to upset her.

"I only wish I could have done more," he said.

"You saved her. We cannot thank you enough," Lion-O smiled slightly and shook the doctor's hand. The doctor smiled slightly back and then left them.

"I am sorry," Lea told them.

"She's going to want her favorite Aunt to tell her that her cousins are safe and sound," her brother said.

"I think she'll take the news just fine from her parents. I should get back and make sure that Pan hasn't killed our prisoner," she gave him a look.

"He might if you tell him the news," Cheetara pointed out.

"I suppose so but he knows we need him to get at Shiner," Lea said.

"Shiner is a big priority. The sooner we get him the better," Lion-O clenched his fists.

"I would agree but he can wait until tomorrow. Right now, Sahara needs you," the cheetah told him.

"Of course. What do we say to her?" He looked at her, completely lost.

"I have no idea," Cheetara admitted. Just then the nurse walked in to take them to Sahara.

"I can help you with what to say. Regrettably, this is not the first time I've had to do this," she said.

"Oh dear," Cheetara said. The nurse gave a tight smile and then led them down the hall with Lea bringing up the rear. The lioness knew this wasn't going to be easy but somehow they'd help Sahara through it.


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning helped bring promise to the ThunderCats as the structure of the Lair was deemed to be sufficient. Work could resume in the building but the areas damaged by water, flames, and smoke would need some help for the foreseeable future. Lea returned to the temporary headquarters just outside the Lair the night before while Lion-O and Cheetara remained at the hospital. Much to the lioness's surprise the only damage that could be seen on Sol was the black eye he'd received as his "Welcome special". Now that they were Ok'd to renter the Lair, Sol would be placed in the cells below.

Not returning to the cells would be those that had no part in the terrible goings on. Nihi, his wife, Bihter, the medical officer, Adil, and the ship's engineer, Melik, had all been cleared of the charges and offered full citizenship if they wished it. Surprisingly, all four said they would remain on New Thundera, and Panthro offered Melik a job in the hangar on the spot. The panther accepted and was eager to get started under the legendary ThunderCats' watchful eye.

"How bad is it?" Pumyra asked as the ThunderCats gathered in the Conference Room.

"They were forced to amputate her foot and her ankle," Lea told them.

"Great Jaga's ghost," Ben-Gali said.

"How'd she take it? Someone that young might not understand…" Tygra started; his mind automatically in doctor mode.

"This might sound weird but she was excited. Said that she could be like a pirate," the lioness shook her head.

"It hasn't totally sunk in," Lynx-O smiled slightly before continuing, "The shock of how ugly it is will come later. I know it was that way with my sight."

"So what are we going to do?" WilyKat asked.

"Sol will lead us to Captain Shiner or he will find out that I'm not a very patient Cat," Panthro said.

"He'll find out that we all aren't very patient. What about Snarf?" Pumyra wanted to know.

"A concussion, some bruises and scrapes. The nurses have to keep trying to keep him in bed because he wants to be with Sahara," Lea smirked at the last part.

"He's going to feel responsible and it isn't his fault. He's going to need us to be supportive," Tygra said.

"Agreed. Has anyone gotten their hands on the security tapes? How did Timor or Sol get into the bedroom where they placed the bomb? How'd the make the bomb?" Lea asked.

"Lion-O or Cheetara must have forgotten to lock their door. Usually they don't bother because no one in this building has the stones to walk into their personal quarters. As for the making the bomb part, that was easy. They already had one made," Ben-Gali explained as he pulled up the footage that survived the explosion. Luckily the cameras sent the video to a server which was near the Control Room and it was not damaged.

"Timor pulled items off the ship which he claimed were personal belongings of his crew. Inside of there could have been a bomb. They were at different space stations and getting the supplies would not have been hard. Worse still, they could have bought a completed one off of our enemies," Panthro clenched his fists.

"Why didn't the sensors go off though? I mean we have sensors for that kind of stuff at the hangar doorway and throughout the Lair," Li-en pointed out.

"My only guess is that the bomb was made out of something that the sensor would not recognize. There was nothing left of it due to the collapse of a portion of the building. Timor was able to detonate it remotely so it wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't a Mutant bomb," Cavan spoke up.

"Perhaps a little present from Shiner?" Tygra wondered.

"Could be. I'm not ruling anything out," Panthro said.

"When can we interrogate the bastard in lockup?" Ben-Gali wanted to know.

"Lion-O wants a piece of him. He'll be here shortly," Lea explained.


	18. Chapter 18

"You will take us to Captain Shiner or you'll find the consequences too much to bear," Lion-O said to the Siberian Tiger. He, Panthro, and the prisoner were in the interrogation room. Sol was chained to the table while the two ThunderCats stood over him, doing their best to intimidate him.

"Like Timor's consequences?" Sol asked.

"If you're lucky," Panthro growled.

"My daughter lost part of her leg, a good friend has injuries, and there's a ThunderGuard soldier in a coma. Never mind how much worse it could have been at the Lair and with the family that Timor took hostage. The damage to the Lair will take weeks to repair. We know that you know Captain Shiner and we know that you were in it with Timor to do whatever it is you think is necessary to remove my family from power. Now tell us what we want to know or I'll be forced to let Panthro get it out of you the hard way," the lion said.

"And break the Code of Thundera? I highly doubt you'll do anything. I want a lawyer," Sol gave him a look.

"Didn't you hear? Those that commit treason don't get a lawyer. They get found guilty and executed," Panthro leaned down to the tiger's level and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I committed no such act. I was already your prisoner when the bomb went off," Sol was defiant.

"You can try to play that card but all the jury is going to hear is four year old Princess, partial amputation, and attempted murder. They're also going to hear how this little one was so selfless that she saved my children from being injured. A baby saving babies. Needless to say whatever you use to try and justify your crimes will go nowhere," Panthro narrowed his eyes at the tiger.

"I'm already ready to convict you," Lion-O smirked.

"Hypothetically, say I'm interested in this deal. What would I get out of it?" Sol wanted to know.

"Well no death penalty. Life without parole in prison works for me and not here on this planet. The Penal Planet is where you'll be going," the lion said.

"You can't send me there! I'll get killed!" The tiger argued.

"How well do you think you'll fare here? All those words I just brought up won't sit well with the other inmates here," Panthro pointed out.

"Besides, legally we could send you there because there is an Evil Chaser stationed inside the Lair. His life was in jeopardy at the time of the explosion," Lion-O said.

"I want a better deal," Sol argued.

"You're already getting to stay alive for however long that is. That's the only deal I'm prepared to make," the lion pointed out.

"Then I won't talk. I want a lawyer," the tiger said. There was a tap on the glass and Lion-O exited the room and moved into the viewing room.

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance?" Lea asked.

"I'm listening," her brother gave her a look.

"Well he hasn't seen how angry a momma can be when her cubs ae threatened," she said.

"Change up the tactic. See what you can get out of him without harming him," he reminded her. Lea nodded and headed for the interrogation room.


	19. Chapter 19

"Sol agreed to the deal. Life on the Penal Planet," Lea smirked as she walked into the Conference Room where the other ThunderCats were waiting.

"How'd you managed to convince him?" Tygra raised an eyebrow.

"I told him that the boys were playing nice and that once Panthro left the room, there would be no one left to hear him scream," the lioness chuckled, her hands resting on the tops of her Kamas.

"He fell for that?" Pumyra asked.

"Oh he did, especially when I whispered loudly to Pan that I would use the special techniques the Mutants taught me to get the information out if him. Seems that made him afraid enough to talk," she said.

"I'm not sure this was entirely above board," Tygra spoke up.

"He doesn't have a scratch on him. I may have done a little verbal abuse but considering his crimes, I doubt it would have been handled any different back home," Lea told them.

"Agreed. Now what did he say about Shiner?" Lion-O wanted to know.

"Claims that the last time he saw Shiner he was using a black hole to hide from the rest of the universe," his sister said.

"How'd they get in to see him and get back out again in that bucket of bolts they were travelling in?" Panthro gave her a look, knowing the ship didn't have enough in it for escape velocity.

"According to Sol, their ship was sucked into the black hole after Timor specifically guided them to it. Once they headed inside, they met with Shiner and he simply turned off the mechanism that sucked things in and it allowed them to leave again," Lea explained.

"So he managed to figure out how to control those internal computers," Ben-Gali said.

"It would seem so," the lioness nodded.

"Why did the rest of the crew not know about this?" Lynx-O asked.

"The two claimed that they were taking their bucket of bolts out on a test flight to see if all of the systems were functioning properly before moving onto the next space station. The others were all too happy to remain at the station they were at because less and less they trusted the ship capabilities," she said.

"So the black hole isn't far from a space station," Li-en said.

"Correct, Space Station seven-alpha-bravo. It's not close so we'll need to take the Feliner," Lea nodded.

"What do you mean 'we'?" Panthro asked.

"Me and whoever else wants to join, of course," she said.

"As much as I would love to get to Shiner, I can't go. Between my family and everything else going on here, the Council has already told me I'm not to leave the safety of the city. They want reassurances that the royal family remains intact until everything settles down. They fear that with Sahara in the hospital and me off to catch the bad guys that our enemies could see an opportunity to strike," Lion-O frowned.

"It's just as well. Sahara is going to need both of her parents nearby," Lynx-O told him.

"She will. She's already asking her mother questions that neither one of us can answer," the lion heaved a sigh.

"That's why I'm going and I'm taking a select few with me," Lea said.

"You have babies to feed," Panthro reminded her.

"She is cleared for duty. I've taken the liberty of instructing the hospital to convert the twins to formula. I've also given Lea some medicine to help with her milk production." Pumyra spoke up. The panther gave the puma a look and then he looked to his wife.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked.

"Shiner needs to be caught and I have every intention of bringing him in," Lea told him. He nodded understanding that she was more than ready to go.

"Then take Ben-Gali, Li-en, and Tygra with you. Bring the ThunderGuard to back you up," Lion-O ordered.

"I'm going too," Panthro said. The King nodded and watched them leave the room.

"May Jaga watch over them on their journey," Lynx-O said.


	20. Chapter 20

"It's going to be a long flight, about twenty hours," Panthro said as he punched in the coordinates for Space Station seven-alpha-bravo.

"You and I will take the first watch then," Lea told the group.

"I'll bring Li-en up to speed on Captain Shiner," Tygra offered.

"I'll do more research on black holes," Ben-Gali said.

"Good. We'll need to be prepared. I'm going to radio the ThunderGuard to let them know our status," Panthro let them know before the other three headed for the back of the ship.

"Feliner to ThunderGuard Transport Alpha, come in Alpha," the panther radioed.

"ThunderGuard Transport Alpha reading you Feliner," a very familiar voice came back.

"Punthar is that you?" Panthro asked.

"I volunteered sir," the puma said.

"Glad to have you with us. Lea and I will be taking the first watch of our flight. We'll be radioing in when we change personnel," he told him.

"Very good sir. I'm at the radio with Captain Pau at the helm," Punthar explained.

"Excellent give the Captain our regards. Feliner out," Panthro ended his side of the call.

"Will do. Alpha over and out," Punthar ended the communication and now all that remained were the married couple in the cockpit.

"How exactly are we going to find this black hole?" Lea asked.

"It won't be hard. They give off an energy signature since they take so much energy to generate and keep running. I'd really like to know how Shiner overrode the main computer in one," Panthro explained.

"Me too. Maybe Ben will have something when we change shifts," she nodded.

"I know I'm not one to talk but we need Shiner alive and in one piece," he said.

"I'll do my best. He helped those idiots to try and kill our babies. Sahara is forever damaged. They won't be far from my mind when we go up against him," Lea told him.

"Trust me, they won't be from mine or anyone else's but Shiner is a crafty bastard and we need our wits about us," the panther smiled at her. Lea nodded and then turned her attention to the controls. The long flight would not help her stewing but she tried to remember to breathe and clear her head. There could be no mistakes.

"Space Station seven-alpha-bravo is coming into view," Tygra radioed to the back of the ship as their journey neared its end. Lea, Panthro, and Li-en clambered back toward the front of the ship and took seats in the cockpit. The journey had been uneventful and they were all glad for it. Ben-Gali had done some research and some thinking but had not been able to arrive at any solid conclusions regarding the black hole. He would have needed schematics and that was something they just didn't have.

"Feliner, heave to and prepare to be boarded," a familiar voice came over the airwaves.

"Mandora?" Tygra asked.

"Done visiting Alexei already?" Ben-Gali chimed in.

"Not exactly," the thick Russian accent came over the radio.

"We've got a mission we need to complete. What do you need?" Panthro asked from the radio station at his seat.

"Heave to and prepare to be boarded," she responded.

"Heaving to," Tygra nodded and quickly put the ship into mid-space boarding protocols. The airlock in the back of the newly designed ship began the process of sealing the room made especially for such an occasion and Mandora landed her cycle inside of the opening created on the outside. Once the ship was sealed up again, she and Alexei were greeted by Li-en.

"You guys have done some interesting work on this new Feliner," Mandora commented.

"That we did. Everyone is in the cockpit, if you'll follow me," he smiled. He said nothing about the ring that now adorned the Evil Chaser's finger. It didn't take long and they had arrived in the cockpit.

"You're going after Shiner," Mandora said, it wasn't a question so much as a statement.

"We are," Lea nodded.

"Pali brought me up to speed and the Evil Chasers want in. He's wanted for multiple crimes across the universe," she said.

"We could always use the help," Tygra smiled.

"I am willing to aid as well though I am not here on official FSB business," Alexei pointed out.

"I'd say you were on official business. Look at the ring on the lady's finger," Panthro chuckled. Mandora blushed, which no one, with the exception of Alexei, thought was possible.

"Congrats!" Lea smiled.

"Thanks!" Alexei beamed.

"You sure you two want to jump in now?" Ben-Gali asked.

"I'm the only Evil Chaser close enough to render assistance. More are on their way but they won't be here for a while," Mandora explained.

"Well we've locked onto our black hole, so buckle up, because we're going in," Tygra explained.


	21. Chapter 21

Tygra guided the ship toward the black hole. It was pulling with great force and the ship began to rattle. Ben-Gali helped Tygra keep the ship steady as they navigated but it was a real struggle. The ThunderGuard ship was right behind them but it too was struggling. Suddenly they were out of the darkness and into the light created inside the black hole and the ships' engines died.

"I've got no power!" Tygra shouted as the ship slowed and they looked around as she began to come to a stop. The gravitational fields inside the black hole kept them airborne but with no power, they would stop well short of their goal – the computer helming the hole.

"You'll be fine. Let the ship coast. There is hardly any debris in here," Panthro said.

"Isn't that a little weird?" Lea asked.

"Yeah it's weird but if he's using this as a place of business all the better to keep it clean in here," her husband pointed out.

"Do we need to be worried about the ThunderGuard ship crashing into us?" Ben-Gali wanted to know.

"They should run out of steam before that," Panthro figured as the ship stopped dead in its tracks.

"So now what?" Mandora asked.

"All of our systems are down; the black hole uses some sort of electro-magnetic pulse to do it. It'll be at least thirty minutes before, the systems can even try to reboot but if Shiner has manipulated the computer inside the control center it could be longer," Li-en explained.

"So how do we get to the computer?" Alexei wondered.

"Well Shiner is going to recognize that we aren't the people he was hoping for so I'm sure he'll make an appearance soon," Lea said. As if on cue, what looked like a large door opened up near the control room, and from it came a pod. It closed in on the ship and Panthro tried to examine it as closely as he could.

"You familiar with that type of pod?" Ben-Gali asked.

"No but it obviously isn't affected by the EMP," the panther raised an eyebrow as from the pod an announcement came.

"ThunderCats you are now guests of Captain Shiner. Prepare to be boarded."

"Keep your wits about you. I have yet to see how they are going to board us without our ship working," Tygra said. That's when they heard a noise in the back of the ship.

"Footsteps! They've boarded!" Mandora shouted and went for her service weapon. She wasn't entirely sure how they did it but they did it.

"Don't do anything foolish," a voice said as the person entered the cockpit.

"Who are you?" Lea demanded.

"I am Lieutenant Cadis. You will accompany me to the Vertus or you will be destroyed," the bulldog-like space being said, his weapon leveled at them.

"I am Mandora, Evil Chaser, First Class, and I am here on a mission. Captain Shiner is wanted across the galaxy," she spoke up.

"The Captain is well aware of that and would like to know how you found him. Now accompany me to the Vertus or…" he let the last part of the sentence hang there, his finger on the trigger of his energy blaster.

"What about our men in the ship behind us?" Panthro wanted to know.

"They are being brought aboard the Vertus as well," the Lieutenant assured them. Though none of them trusted the man in front of them, they did as they were told. They needed to get to Shiner and if he was willing to let them aboard his ship, they could not ask for more. So the ThunderCats did as they were asked and as they approached the door, it was only then that Panthro realized Shiner had turned the Vertus into the black hole generating machine.


	22. Chapter 22

"So you once again grace me with your presence and you bring an Evil Chaser with you," Shiner gave the ThunderCats a look over. They had been brought to a private dining room of some sort and the Captain hadn't kept them waiting long.

"Well you are a wanted man," Mandora spoke up.

"Yes and I'm curious to know how you managed to discover I wasn't dead. Someone has loose lips," Shiner glared at her.

"She knows because we know," Lea spoke up. She was barely keeping it cool underneath the seemingly nice nature of the conversation.

"Panthro you did not have this charming lady with you last time. How is it you know?" He asked while giving Lea the once over.

"She is my wife," Panthro growled.

"We know because your mad bomber talked," it was Lea's turn to growl.

"My mad bomber?" Shiner looked genuinely confused.

"Two Thunderian outlaws claimed to have visited you and they claim that you gave them the bomb," Lea was lying a little bit. Only one mad bomber had admitted to Shiner giving them the bomb but right now was not the time to quibble over the details.

"Those two crazies? I didn't give them a bomb. They said they needed parts for their ship and I agreed to let them pick over what my black hole had to offer for quite the fee. I certainly didn't give them explosives," Shiner said.

"Then why did we catch one of them trying to get off New Thundera and to get back to you?" Tygra spoke up. No one seemed to trust Shiner and for good reason.

"I have no idea. I certainly don't want lunatics on my crew. While I am no saint, I certainly have my standards," the Captain said.

"They almost killed my babies!" Lea was a hair away from punching him in the face.

"Believe me, if I had known they were trying to kill children, I wouldn't even have allowed my contacts to give them my information. As it is, I now have you to deal with," Shiner clenched his fists.

"Well Evil Chaser High Command knows that I'm here and they know that you're not dead so do what's best for you and your crew, surrender," Mandora spoke up.

"Yes well that won't be happening any time soon. Me and my crew will be long gone by the time your backup arrives," the Captain smirked.

"We came to bring you in peacefully," Ben-Gali said.

"Oh? Is that why you brought the ThunderGuard with you?" Shiner asked.

"We brought them so that we could be on a more even playing field," Li-en said calmly. He was really wishing that their weapons hadn't been taken away from them.

"Ah yes, my crew can be deadly but I'm afraid you have bigger problems now," the Captain said before nodding to his crew members that surrounded him. They levelled their blasters at the captives.

"Take our prisoners to join the rest of their friends down in the Engine Room. You'll see the radioactive rods have gotten bigger since last you saw them," the Captain chuckled. It was then that Lea lost her cool. She jumped from her spot and lunged at Shiner. They had taken her Kamas away from her but that didn't mean she couldn't use her bare hands. She struck with such speed and ferocity that no one had time to react. In an instant, she had Shiner by the throat.

"Release the ThunderGuard from the Engine Room and turn off the black hole machine or the Captain gets it," she snarled.


	23. Chapter 23

"Release the Captain!" Lieutenant Cadis ordered. Instead, Lea squeezed tighter. Shiner tried to fight back but the ThunderCat's grip was too strong. His skin was starting to turn blue.

"Do as I say or I end him right here!" Lea snarled. That's when Panthro lunged at Cadis. The others turned on their captors as well and the struggle for control of the Vertus had begun.

"I have the Lieutenant! Put your weapons down!" Panthro bellowed after scuffling with the ranking officer. The panther had managed to snatch Cadis' blaster and he now pointed it at his foe. The rest of the crew put their weapons down and the ThunderCats and humans scooped them up. Lea released Shiner and he collapsed on the floor gasping for breath. She took away his blaster and pointed at him while he tried to get his wits about him.

"So what's your big plan now? Just going to waltz down to the Engine Room and then turn off the computer?" Lieutenant Cadis asked.

"Not exactly," Mandora smirked. She poked a button on the side of her helmet and said,

"This is Mandora, Evil Chaser First Class. Come in Evil Chaser Battlecruiser Seven. Do you read?" She asked.

"We read you Mandora," was the response.

"The Vertus is the black hole. Somehow they were able to create the hole and have it cloak the ship. We have secured the Captain and the First Officer in a private dining room. The ThunderGuard is trapped in the Engine Room," she filled them in.

"Standby," came the reply.

"What's the plan?" Alexei asked.

"Grab something and hold on," Mandora said. They were unable to ask why but did so quickly as suddenly the ship began to shake. The shaking became more violent and everyone tried to brace harder as it did so. Then just as suddenly as it had started it stopped.

"Success. We're harnessing the Feliner and Troop Transport as we speak. We're also hailing the Vertus," the voice on the other end of Mandora's helmet responded.

"Excellent work. We'll await the boarding party. Make sure we get a medical team to the Engine Room with Radioactive kits," she told them.

"Aye aye," with that the call ended.

"Captain Shiner under Article Thirteen of the Space Convention, I'm placing you under arrest for space piracy, kidnapping, the selling of stolen goods, and the attempted murder of Evil Chaser Pali, Princess Sahara, and the twins Layna and Milo. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, then anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?" Mandora asked. He just gave her the hairy eyeball and Mandora handed her cuffs to her betrothed.

"Cuff him would you?" She smiled at him.

"My pleasure," Alexei smiled back and handed her his confiscated blaster. Now with a blaster in each hand, she held the crew at bay.

"She's a badass," Li-en whispered to Ben-Gali.

"Oh you have no idea," the white tiger chuckled.

"Evil Chaser First Class Mandora, we have the bridge. Teams are being dispatched to the Engine Room and your location," an announcement came on over the internal audio system of the ship.

"ThunderCats, prepare to be rescued," Mandora smirked.


	24. Chapter 24

Meanwhile on New Thundera, Lion-O paced about the Control Room. They had yet to hear from either the Feliner or the Troop Transport and now it was getting late in the day. Cheetara was with Sahara at the hospital and the workers were banging away, fixing the Lair in three shifts. Between everything going on in his head and the noise of the construction, Lion-O felt like his head was going to explode.

"My King, would you like me to get some coffee or a sandwich for you?" One of the ThunderGuard asked. He was a young lynx officer who reminded the Lion a lot of Li-en.

"I'm getting a headache," the King admitted.

"I hate to sound like your wife Sir but when was the last time you ate?" The lynx wanted to know.

"What time is it?" Lion-O asked ignoring the rather informal approach the young officer took.

"Almost nine pm, Sir," came the reply.

"Your name, son?" Lion-O inquired.

"Kitt, Sir," the lynx said.

"Kitt, you're a brave soul to make a comment about my wife but you're completely right. I could use some food and some headache medicine," the King smirked.

"I only said it because I figured she's like my wife Sir. She's always keeping me grounded Sir," Kitt smiled.

"That they do, that they do," Lion-O nodded. With that Kitt was out the door and down to the kitchen where ThunderGuard cooks had been put in charge until Snarf was back on his feet again.

"Can we try hailing the Feliner again?" The King asked the radio operator.

"Yes, Sir," the panther nodded and began to hail the Feliner.

"Feliner, this is New Thundera. Come in Feliner," there was a whole lot of silence on the other end.

"Feliner, this is New Thundera. Do you read?" Again there seems to be silence until there was a sudden blast of static.

"What the hell," the radio operator cursed under his breath, his eardrums suffering from the blast. He adjusted the wavelength and frequencies but still nothing. Shaking his head, he kept at it. Every so often, the room would hear him try to contact the Feliner but get nothing. Kitt came back with food for Lion-O and the lion thanked him. He'd started to lose his appetite but he knew that he would need to be at his best if something was seriously wrong.

"New Thundera, this is Evil Chaser Battlecruiser Seven. We are towing the Feliner and Troop Transport. We're in need of medical assistance for the ThunderGuard. Be advised that Mandora is personally escorting Captain Shiner and his crew to Evil Chaser Headquarters," the voice came in over the radio.

"What are the injuries?" The panther asked.

"Exposure to radiation. We've started treatment but they could use proper medical facilities," the Evil Chaser responded.

"Ok, our hospital is on alert. We have crews standing by to assist. ETA?" The radio operator asked.

"One hour. We've been slowed with all the towing. Over and out," with that the call was over and the Lair became a buzz of activity. Lion-O breathed a sigh of relief though the sound of radiation exposure made him cringe. Hopefully, Lea could give him a complete update and they could finally move on.


	25. Chapter 25

The next morning the ThunderCats convened in the Conference Room. Cheetara joined them as Sahara had been released from the hospital and into the care of the Med Bay where Snarf was busy distracting her with toys and her brother, Leo, had joined in. The cheetah was exhausted but she wanted to hear all about Lea's trip.

"How are the ThunderGuard doing?" Lion-O asked Tygra who had overseen the transport of the sickened Cats to the hospital.

"They'll be ok. Luckily the Evil Chasers had started medicating as soon as they had been brought aboard," the tiger explained.

"How long will they be in the hospital?" The lion wanted to know.

"At least a week; its protocol for something like this," Tygra said. Lion-O nodded and looked around the room, noticing that everyone was there.

"All right everyone let's get this meeting to order," he said. Everyone quieted down and the lion continued,

"Lea, would you be as so kind as to bring us up to speed?" Lea nodded and started to explain everything that had happened.

"So is it over?" Cheetara asked after the lioness finished.

"I don't think so. After having more time to think about it, something doesn't sit right," Lea admitted.

"How do you figure?" Pumyra wanted to know.

"As angry as I was and am, I think Shiner was telling the truth," the lioness explained.

"About what?" Ben-Gali was confused.

"The bomb that our rebels made. It serves him no purpose to have them fail and their chances of failure heavily outweighed their chances of success," Lea said.

"You mean setting off the bomb while Lion-O was actually in his room," Panthro said.

"Yes. They'd have to be inside the Lair when it happened to know if they were actually getting my brother and not some innocent bystanders. The only reason Timor set it off was because he had the detonator and he'd been cornered. If we hadn't figured out who he was then maybe he gets a chance to catch us off guard but Shiner had to know we'd background check everyone on that ship. I would assume so did our bombers. It stands to reason this was more of a suicide mission than anything else," she pointed out.

"Maybe he was betting on them killing themselves instead of talking," Lion-O said.

"Everything about Shiner screams of someone who likes to be in control. He would never be in control of this and he had to know that if it went sideways there was a chance he'd be fingered. That being the case, the minute he gave the bomb to Timor and Sol, he would have moved the Vertus and gotten out of dodge. Instead we found him, right where Sol said he would be," Lea argued.

"Convenient," Panthro raised an eyebrow.

"Too convenient," Cheetara nodded.

"So the question is who would stand to gain from this?" Tygra asked.

"Certainly not our bombers. The only thing they gained was death and a life sentence," Pumyra said.

"I think we need to look at the bigger picture. Someone out there knew Shiner wasn't dead, way before we did. Someone had to have told Timor and Sol. That same person could have a grudge against us and against Shiner," Ben-Gali said.

"The only person who would have a problem with both of us is Mumm-Ra and this underhanded plan is way too complicated for that miserable bag of bones, if he were still alive that is," Panthro pointed out.

"Get Mandora on the horn. Timor and Sol's plan failed but that doesn't mean their target wasn't Shiner all along and we were just gravy," Lion-O ordered. Quickly Panthro, called the Evil Chasers to get a message to Mandora.

"We lost contact with Evil Chaser Mandora six hours ago," they relayed.

"What?" Lion-O asked.

"Battlecruiser Seven found debris in her flight path and we're working to determine what happened," they told the group.

"Great Jaga's ghost," Cheetara murmured.


	26. Chapter 26

Hours would pass and no word had been heard from the Evil Chasers. Lion-O spent most of that time on the phone with anyone he could think of to see if they could provide any answers or wanted the ThunderCats' assistance. Cheetara had intended to sleep but between the thought that Mandora could be dead and the construction noise, there was no sleep to be had. Instead she tried to help Lion-O in any way that she could.

Ben-Gali, Panthro, Li-en, and Cavan worked to get the Feliner operational again in case they needed to use it. While the EMP should not have disabled the mechanisms for more than a few hours, some of the more delicate electronics were completely fried and had to be redone. It was grueling work but they needed to be at the ready the moment they were told to get moving.

Now, as day faded into night, Lion-O received a call that the Evil Chasers had given up their search at the scene of the debris. Nothing could be found and they were heading back to the Vertus to tow it to its new destination of the Evil Chaser base. The lion heaved a sigh and called for all ThunderCats to meet in the Conference Room.

"I've called you all here because the Evil Chasers are giving up the search for Mandora and Shiner. Officially, they are reporting her as missing in action but unofficially…" Lion-O trailed off.

"I must return to base. Mandora was my commanding officer. They will want a full report and they will want it in person," Pali stood from his chair. It was evident that the Mutant was struggling with the news but he was trying to be professional. No one blamed him for being upset. Mandora was a great friend and ally and they were all hurting but it probably hit the Mutant a little bit harder given what the Evil Chaser had done for him.

"You're not going anywhere. I spoke to the High Command and they want you here. With Mandora missing, they need the Evil Chaser presence to remain in this sector. They've promised backup for you and Officer Shay which should be here by first light," Lion-O said.

"Then I must gather my mother and father. We may be the only members of the tribe here but Mandora was like a daughter to them. It is only proper we give her the proper sendoff," Pali told them.

"Agreed. Go and give our condolences to your parents," the lion smiled slightly. Pali nodded and headed out of the room.

"I did not want to give the lad false hope but there might be a way to find out if Mandora is still here and not in the Astral Plane," Lynx-O spoke up.

"I was thinking about trying to contact Jaga through the Sword but the Eye refused to call him. I haven't had time to try and figure out why," Lion-O admitted.

"If Mandora is in fact gone from this plane, there will have been a large disturbance in the balance of Good and Evil. As you know, everyone is attached to the Astral Plane, not just ThunderCats," the lynx said.

"So perhaps she is not dead but somehow in between?" Cheetara raised an eyebrow.

"It could very well be. There are only two things that would allow us to try and reach her; one would be the Sword and its ability to penetrate the Astral Plane, and two would be the Book," Lynx-O explained.

"The last time we used the Book of Omens, Lion-O almost got trapped in there!" Cheetara was not having it.

"The Sword it is then," the lynx did not argue.

"I couldn't get it to do anything earlier. If it won't heed the Lord and King, who will it heed?" Lion-O wanted to know.

"Your family is now part of its inner circle. When you married Cheetara and had children, all of them are future heirs to its power, along with Lea, of course. Perhaps, what it needs is someone else's touch," Lynx-O said. Lion-O shrugged and handed it to Cheetara. She tried to get the Eye of Thundera to open but it refused. She then handed it to Lea, whose attempts ended just as poorly.

"That leaves the children," Cheetara was nervous about what that could mean.

"They're only five and seven," Lion-O looked to Lynx-O.

"Then we try Leo first. He is the first born," the lynx seemed calm about it despite the children's parents not being so. Lion-O heaved a sigh and took up the Sword and headed for the Med Bay. Everyone followed him, anxious to see what would happen.

"So what's up guys?" Doctor Pungali asked as they all entered the Med Bay.

"We need to borrow the kids," Lion-O said.

"Right this way," the doctor smiled slightly and led them to the room where Leo, Sahara, and Snarf were playing.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Sahara was all smiles despite her condition.

"Hey baby," the cheetah went to her and pulled her in for a hug.

"What's going on?" Leo was a little more curious than his sister. His father however, did not get the chance to tell him as the Sword growled at Sahara's giggle. Her mother had sat down next to her but wasn't tickling her or playing any games. Everyone looked at everyone else for a moment or two and then Lea asked,

"Sahara, what's so funny?"

"You guys," the little litah said.

"Oh yeah?" The lioness cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Sahara smirked and held out her hand. Before Lion-O knew what was happening, the Sword wrenched itself free and landed in the little girl's hand. At this point, almost everyone was gaping at her. The Sword was heavy and yet she held it as if it were one of her toys.

"What?" She asked.


	27. Chapter 27

"Is the Sword talking to you?" Cheetara asked, wondering why out of everyone that was available, her small injured daughter was whom the Sword sought.

"You guys are looking for Mandora right?" Sahara responded with a question of her own.

"We are sweetie. She and Alexei are missing," Lion-O explained.

"The Sword knows where they are," the five year old said.

"It does?" Lea asked.

"Sure. It's been trying to tell me but I don't understand what its saying," the litah admitted.

"Well maybe we'll get it," Ben-Gali smiled.

"Flying Furnace?" Sahara shrugged.

"She's right. I don't understand that either," Lea said, confused at just what the little one was talking about.

"Char! That thief!" Lion-O growled.

"Why would he be after Shiner?" Panthro asked.

"No idea but when I get my hands on him…." Lion-O clenched his fists.

"The Feliner is ready for takeoff. We can get supplies and some ThunderGuard and be out of here within the hour," Lea told them.

"Does it give coordinates? I'll radio the Evil Chasers before we leave," Li-en wanted to know.

"Just a space station with the number eight-a-b," the little girl smiled.

"We'll be able to track his pollution heap of a ship from there. Let's move," Panthro said. With that most of the group left to get ready to go leaving Lion-O and Cheetara behind with their children.

"You did a great job," Cheetara smiled but Lion-O could tell that she was upset by this latest development and they would be talking about it as soon as it was possible.

"Thanks Mommy," Sahara smiled back.

"I need to borrow this bad boy in case we get into some trouble," Lion-O said and his daughter simply handed it back to him. He gave her a big hug and a quick kiss on the top of her head and then he was gone. Silently, Cheetara wished she could go but she knew she needed the sleep and to speak to Sahara and Leo.

Down in the hangar, Panthro loaded the supplies into the Feliner and a fresh batch of ThunderGuard troops was loading a transport for their departure as well. Li-en had just joined him after giving the Evil Chasers a lead. Lea was sharpening her Kamas and Cavan was trying to get the star maps of the region updated into the Feliner's systems.

"Can we get moving in twenty minutes?" Lion-O asked after entering the hangar, the Sword safely tucked away in the Claw Shield.

"Give me thirty. The maps are updating and the weapons systems are going through final checks," Cavan called from the cockpit.

"I'll give you twenty-five. Char is not going to want to keep an Evil Chaser on board. In fact, I'm surprised that he has for this long. It's going to take us almost a day to get to the Space Station," the lion pointed out before jumping into help the loading process.

"Evil Chasers are en route to scope the area out. The Commander I spoke to thought it was odd that Char would be hanging out there too," Li-en piped up.

"Well he could be using Shiner and his crew as lackeys in the engine room like Shiner himself did with the ThunderGuard," Ben-Gali said.

"Let's hope not. There's a reason they call it the "Flying Furnace"," Lion-O shook his head. They finished loading and made sure everyone was ready to go before Lion-O, Tygra, Panthro, Lea, Ben-Gali, and Li-en got aboard the Feliner. Cavan had finished the necessary computing in twenty five minutes with a bit of luck and now she watched as they headed for space, knowing that the mission was going to be dangerous, she'd left a little note in the cockpit for her husband and another note taped to the controls which undoubtedly Panthro had found by now as the ship left the planet's atmosphere.


	28. Chapter 28

"My wife, ladies and gentlemen," Li-en chuckled. He held up her note and headed toward the back of the ship. Ben-Gali looked at him and watched him go, not sure what the liger was up to. They'd only been flying for about six hours. The Evil Chasers had said they were

"I knew I liked that woman," Panthro was having his own chuckle from the controls.

"Hey!" Lea smacked his shoulder.

"She isn't you babe," he reassured her. Li-en was back in a few minutes a big smile on his face.

"Are those what I think those are?" Tygra asked upon seeing food on the tray that the liger had in his hands.

"Her world famous candy fruit cookies. I cooked up a fresh pot of coffee too," he said, handing out cups to the group, before filling them up.

"Jaga bless her," Ben-Gali chuckled before grabbing a couple of cookies for himself.

"She left me a note too," Panthro smirked and then opened a cupboard beneath the control console.

"Thunderian brandy. Oh she is a little minx!" Lea brightened.

"For celebrating a successful mission," her husband smiled.

"We'll definitely be drinking to that," Tygra nodded before shoving cookies into his mouth. Lea turned her attention to her brother, who had been quiet the entire time.

"You ok?" She asked, handing him a cup of coffee and some cookies.

"The look on Tara's face," was all he said.

"Yeah I imagine her brain is going wild with all that's happened. We'll get that all sorted once we get Char and save Mandora," Lea promised.

"Sounds good," he nodded. She was going to press more but didn't get the chance.

"I've picked up the trail of pollutants!" Panthro shouted.

"We're not even close to the Space Station," Lion-O said.

"I've got a call out to the Evil Chasers," Ben-Gali announced.

"Do we follow it?" Li-en asked.

"Yes. The Evil Chasers are closer to the Space Station. We need to cover all of our bases," the King ordered.

"You got it," Panthro adjusted course and they were on the trail. Ben-Gali continued to communicate with the Evil Chasers via secure connection.

After three hours, they had the Flying Furnace in sight. Panthro slowed the engines so they would run as quietly as they could. He checked the systems and got the weapons online.

"So what's the plan?" He asked.

"Warning shot across the bow? How far out are the Evil Chasers?" Li-en wanted to know.

"We're on our own for at least a few hours," Ben-Gali shook his head.

"We can't wait. Fire a shot and we'll bargain for Mandora and Alexei and any Evil Chasers. My guess is that Char will be more than willing to get rid of them if we let him keep Shiner," Lion-O said.

"Can we live with that?" Tygra gave him a look.

"I know I can," Lea growled.

"Even if he's a pawn too?" Panthro raised an eyebrow. Lion-O heaved a sigh as he watched Panthro launch the warning shot.


	29. Chapter 29

"Char! Pull that bucket of bolts over!" Panthro shouted through the radio.

"ThunderCats! Come for your precious Evil Chasers have you?" He squawked back at them.

"This is Lion-O. We will let you keep Shiner if you give us the Evil Chasers," the lion jumped into the conversation.

"Lion-O, you old scoundrel. Had to come on the mission didn't you? Sure you don't want to give me the Sword for the Evil Chasers?" Char asked.

"Right now there is a squadron of Evil Chasers en route to this location. We can wait for them to dispense justice or you can free the Evil Chasers and Russian Alexei. I have it on good authority that Mars has put a bounty on your head," now Lion-O was bluffing but he figured that Char wouldn't want three groups chasing him.

"You'll let me keep Shiner?" Char wanted to know.

"He double crossed you didn't he? You'll want to settle your score before the Evil Chasers track you down," the lion said.

"You make a good point but what's exactly stopping me from jettisoning them all into space without any spacesuits?" The thief threatened.

"Do that and you'll find out just how powerful the Feliner is. You like your ship too much to watch us blow it up," Lion-O came back with a threat of his own. There was silence on the other end which made them all wonder if he was seriously thinking about putting their friends into space.

"Heave to and prepare to be boarded!" Panthro growled.

"All right ThunderCats, you win," Char announced. They could see him cutting his engines to slow down and the Feliner pulled alongside of the Flying Furnace.

"Be at the ready. This guy doesn't know the meaning of the word surrender. Probably the only reason he's being reasonable is because he has Evil Chasers on board," Lion-O told them. He received nods from the group and Li-en took the controls of the ship from Panthro and the rest headed off to board the thief's ship. A tube extended from the Flying Furnace and Li-en carefully maneuvered the Feliner into place before the ship docked with the tube. From there the airlock formed and the ThunderCats were able to walk without space suits into the ship.

"If I had known I'd angered the ThunderCats, I would have dropped these fine Evil Chasers off at the nearest stop," Char said after approaching them.

"We're surprised you left them on the ship for so long considering they're chasing Shiner and presumably now you," Lion-O admitted.

"One of those tricky situations," he said.

"Right," Panthro didn't trust him as far as he could throw him.

"Where are the Evil Chasers?" Lea wanted to know. Char poked a button on the device on his wrist and a door opened. Out walked Mandora, Alexei, and five crew members, all were decidedly looking worse for wear. Tygra ushered them toward the tube and Ben-Gali stepped in to help get them onto the Feliner.

"What about Shiner and his crew?" Lion-O asked as he watched the group head for the ship.

"They've found themselves a quiet place in the Engine Room," Char smirked.

"What exactly did Shiner do to you?" Lea gave him a look, her hand subconsciously moved to her Kamas.

"He owes me money," Char said. The ThunderCats didn't believe him for a second but they got what they wanted so it was time to make for the exit.

"We'll be off then," Lion-O said and the three headed for the tube and were quickly back aboard the Feliner. Li-en pulled them away from the Flying Furnace.

"Give him a little parting gift and radio the Evil Chasers his location," the King ordered.

"Aye, aye," the liger smirked before blasting a shot into the Flying Furnace's left engine, effectively disabling it. Then they turned tail and took off for home.


	30. Chapter 30

Cheetara had just put the kids to bed before heading down to the Control Room. The Feliner had been out of communication range for a little over a day. The deeper in space they went the harder it was to keep in contact.

"Have you been getting any sleep?" Cavan asked, noticing her Queen walking into the room. She had drawn night watch duty and had not expected anyone to be joining her.

"I think the only time I'll be able to sleep is when everyone gets back home," the cheetah admitted.

"Well maybe you should see Pumyra about some sleep aids. We have no idea when they're getting home," the puma pointed out.

"You're right but I'm worried about the kids and I'm worried about Lion-O and I'm worried about…"

"Everything," Cavan finished.

"Yes, everything," the cheetah nodded.

"Well I have to admit, I've been running the whole scenario through my head and there are still some things that I can't make sense of which I find worrying," the puma told her.

"That Sahara can wield the Sword or that Char would have the Evil Chasers?" Cheetara raised an eyebrow.

"Both and a little more than that. Right now, Sahara doesn't worry me nearly as much as the other stuff," Cavan frowned.

"Lay it on me," the cheetah said.

"Someone knew Shiner wasn't dead. This same someone knew that they could send Timor and Sol in our direction and in Shiner's. They set him up to get captured by us and then  
Mandora. Who has that kind of juice? Who did we piss off?" The puma wanted to know.

"That last one is a long list but the first one is certainly a limited number. This is usually something we call Mandora for," Cheetara frowned.

"I have a better idea," Cavan smirked before placing a call to the ThunderGuard barracks in the basement. Once a soldier came upstairs, she gave him the Control Room and bolted out of the room.

"Something I said?" The cheetah shrugged.

"I highly doubt that your Highness," the lynx winked. She smiled and then headed out of the room and down to the Med Bay to see about those sleep aids.

Meanwhile, on the Feliner, Panthro passed around glasses of Thunderian brandy to everyone. The Evil Chasers and Alexei were under Tygra's medical care and he gave the panther a look.

"You sure this is a good medical idea?" One of the crew asked.

"Like mother's milk," Alexei smirked and took his shot.

"I knew I liked him," Panthro chuckled.

"Like tea with honey. You have any vodka?" The Russian gave them a look.

"That's fifteen year old brandy. It curls my toes," Ben-Gali couldn't believe it.

"Russians pour vodka on their cereal," Alexei teased.

"He does not," Mandora laughed despite her weakened condition. The group laughed and then started to disperse. The head Evil Chaser looked at Lion-O and he hung back.

"You and I need to talk," she said.


	31. Chapter 31

Cavan did not arrive back at the Lair until morning, which Cheetara did not notice as the sleeping aids given to her by Pumyra knocked her out cold. The puma headed straight for the Control Room, hoping for word of her husband and they rest of the team.

"Any news?" She asked as she walked into the Control Room.

"Not yet," Punthar turned around from his seat at the large monitor.

"Punthar! You weren't supposed to be on duty for at least another couple of days!" The puma was concerned about her follow puma.

"I was driving Pumyra nuts down in the Med Bay. She figures as long as I don't leave the Lair, I should be fine," he said.

"And I have orders to kick his butt back down to the Med Bay if I even have the slightest inkling he isn't feeling well," Kitt, the lynx, gave him a look.

"I'll be helping to make sure he gets down there," WilyKit spoke up.

"See, I've got two babysitters with me," Punthar chuckled.

"All right. I want to be alerted the moment you come into contact with the Feliner," Cavan said.

"Yes ma'am," Kitt nodded.

"Very good. WilyKit, a moment," the puma smiled and jerked her head toward the door. The former ThunderKitten nodded and met the older woman out in the hall.

"We need to catch up, it's been awhile," Cavan realized. They'd been working opposite shifts and the younger Cat had been working with her brother to train the new ThunderGuard soldiers.

"It has but I'm guessing that's not why you wanted to talk out in the hallway," WilyKit said.

"I have information that Lion-O is going to want to hear the moment we can get a secure connection," the puma explained.

"For ThunderCat ears only?" WilyKit asked.

"Yes, exactly," Cavan nodded.

"All right. I'll see what I can do. Meantime, you might want to get some chow. Snarf is back in the kitchen," the young woman smiled.

"Oh I think I will hurry on down there," Cavan smiled back and then headed off to see if Snarf had been making his famous Candy Fruit pancakes.

"You're sure about this?" Lion-O asked Mandora. She'd been explaining Char's odd behavior and the fact that despite everything Shiner was probably being railroaded.

"As sure as I can be without solid proof. I've been doing this a long time Lion-O. I know when something is fishy," the Evil Chaser nodded.

"All right. I trust you. Hopefully we're within range of a deep space sensor and can contact New Thundera," he said.

"Sounds good. The sooner we get on firm land, the better I'll feel," Mandora told him.

"Get some rest. You'll need your strength," the Lion smiled.

"Don't have to tell me twice," she winked and then he helped her lie back down on her bunk. Alexei walked into the room as Lion-O was leaving and the two shared a nod before the former went to check on his beloved.

"So what did our Evil Chaser have to say?" Li-en asked as only he, Lion-O, and Panthro remained in the cockpit.

"It's a wild theory but the more I think about it, the more I think she could be right," the lion admitted.

"Spill it man!" Panthro urged.

"Not long before this whole mess got started, some of her colleagues collared a group of cultists who were trying to raise some sort of Evil to do their bidding. At any rate, she thinks that since they really had no clue what they were doing, it's possible that some of the enemies we trapped in the Astral Plane could have escaped," Lion-O said.

"Like who?" Li-en wanted to know.

"While she can't be certain, Char was certainly acting funny," the lion started.

"I'll say," Panthro nodded.

"She felt he could have been under some sort of mind control," Lion-O nodded.

"You've got to be kidding," the panther shook his head.

"Ta-She was in the Astral Prison," the lion said.

"Great Jaga's ghost," Panthro heaved a sigh. Li-en was completely confused.

"It gets worse; Ta-She wouldn't want Shiner for her needs. He'd serve a purpose but only to the end which she is looking for, an end that she is more than likely sharing with someone else," Lion-O said.

"Sweet Jaga's toothbrush! How much worse could it get?" Panthro asked.

"Well we all thought Mumm-Ra was dead when he fought with Zaxx. We now know this to not be true. So…" it was then that Lion-O just shrugged unsure of the supposition which he'd added to Mandora's theory.

"We need to get home now!" Panthro revved the engines into a higher gear and they increased speed toward home.


	32. Epilogue

WilyKit had established a connection with the Feliner but Lion-O had refused to allow any messages through but his own. He told her to get all the ThunderCats and their resident Evil Chasers in the Conference Room by the time they arrived and to have the medical staff standing by for the Evil Chasers and Alexei. She did as he asked and by the time the ship arrived some three hours later everyone was in the Conference Room waiting.

"What's going on? How are Mandora and Alexei?" Cheetara asked.

"The Evil Chasers and Alexei are a little worse for wear. Doctor Pungali promised us updates when we get out of this meeting," Lion-O explained.

"I have something that I think everyone needs to hear before we get ahead of ourselves," Cavan spoke up.

"WilyKit did mention that and I am sorry but what I have to say cannot wait," the King told them.

"Why do I have the feeling that we have the same message?" The puma asked. Everyone looked at her completely confused.

"Ok, now you need to go first," Panthro spoke up.

"I went down to see Daemon. I figured he might have heard something regarding the Evil Chasers or Char. Cecil, Benny, and Lilianna give their best by the way," Cavan said.

"They welcome you with open arms?" The panther wanted to know, curious to see where this was going.

"Lilianna made sure I was taken care of. Anyway, Daemon said that he'd heard through his connections that things were too hot for smuggling runs after the Evil Chasers went missing and that Char was probably responsible. Daemon said that in his dealings with Char he always had a feeling that he was just a thief so kidnapping Evil Chasers was something he just didn't see him doing. Apparently, he kept pressing his sources, and someone heard that there was scuttlebutt regarding a lady who had been picked up on Char's last run to the Junk Planet. Daemon couldn't get any more info as no one seemed to recognize her but everyone admitted that Char was certainly not himself. Daemon said he was thinking of bringing this to us once the Feliner had returned," Cavan explained.

"Daemon doesn't bring me these kinds of things in person so I'm guessing that he's more concerned about his scrap metal dealer and his smuggling outfit," Panthro cocked an eyebrow.

"Regardless the news seemed weird so I figured it had something to do with what happened to Mandora," the puma said.

"Agreed and the worst of it would seem to be that you just confirmed Mandora's concerns," Lion-O shook his head before quickly explaining the Evil Chaser's thoughts.

"Who is this Ta-She? Why does everyone seem so worried?" Li-en pressed.

"We dealt with her before and only I was able to defeat her. She possesses the power of the Doom Gaze and she can trick any man into doing her bidding. However, it does not affect women and that is why I was able to send her back from whence she came," Cheetara frowned.

"That would be a problem, especially since she now seems to have Char under her spell," Pumyra now spoke up.

"So what's the plan?" Pali asked.

"The Evil Chasers radioed that they had captured Char but that Shiner and his crew were nowhere to be found on his ship. They're holding him for their murder since they have no idea how they would have escaped. Apparently the escape pod for the Flying Furnace was damaged in our blast and was still attached to the ship when they got there," Lion-O said.

"So Shiner and his crew are missing, it's possible that Ta-She is back and with help. Sounds like we're going to be very busy," Ben-Gali shook his head.

"I want the Lair's repairs worked on around the clock. We need everything in tiptop shape around here. We're going to beef up security and try to get more ThunderGuard recruits. We will need to be ready at a moment's notice," the King nodded.

"If we're going to do it, let's do it," Panthro nodded as well. The group quickly split up to get everything into motion. They had no idea that evil was lurking just outside their reach.

**T** **h** **e End**


End file.
